Original subtitles

[Barks]

Don't it look wonderful this morning?

Don't it?

After we eat breakfast,

we'll go swimming and fishing and everything

yahoo!

[Barks]

Morning, Ma.

We'll eat as soon as your pa comes in from the barn.

My, somebody's real happy.

I should have known, the way you yahoo'd out there.

Sound like one of the Cayuse Indians

when he catches one of those big river salmon.

And all the time I thought you didn't want to come

out here to Wallowa.

Didn't want to come out?

Why, Wallowa was the best place we ever lived.

Better than all those other places

in Colorado and Kansas.

Aw, gosh, Ma.

[Laughs]

Aw, you're joshing me.

I'm happy, too, son.

Yeah, all the moving of we've done, I think it's over.

We've just been here three weeks,

and so many good things have happened.

Never saw your Pa so settled and satisfied.

Why, he should be.

With the store, and the white cow,

and all the other livestock,

and everybody saying that the territory of Washington

has a better future than any other place we've been.

All the hunting, and fishing,

and rivers, and hills...

Oh, gosh, Ma,

gosh is right.

[Footfalls]

What is it, John?

The cattle are gone.

Oh, no. Not the white cow.

Yes, the white cow, too.

Ten head of cattle can't just disappear.

Well, they did.

They gotta be somewhere.

And the white cow, why, there's no other like her.

She just can't disappear.

She did, son.

Old Chief Piotoot was lying

when he said she'd bring us good luck.

Oh, the Chief was talking.

He was trying to raise the price on that cow.

It's a Cayuse Indian legend

that a white cow with crossed horns is good luck.

Good luck or bad luck,

she's the best cow stock in the territory.

John, what are you gonna do?

I don't know.

There's not a lawman within 50 mile of here.

I better go over to the camp and have a talk with the chief.

He seems to know everything that's happened here in Wallowa.

Maybe he can give me a lead.

Can I go?

Yeah, sure. We'll eat later.

Let's go, son.

Pa, we can't close the store today.

It's Saturday. People'll be coming in.

I know.

Hey, maybe Piotoot come in and buy something.

The store can wait. We can't.

Morning, Mr. Wiley

Morning Zeke. Morning Jake.

Well, there he goes,

to get his self an education.

Yep. Lost himself a cow.

Lucky cow.

Don't forget the lucky part.

Well, it's lucky for old Chief Piotoot.

How many times do you figure he's sold

that cross-horned critter,

stole it back, then sold it again?

Six, eight times, near as I can "recolate."

Old Piotoot would starve.

Might even have to go to work

if he didn't have that lucky cow to sell

and steal back again.

That won't happen.

Not as long as there's easy marks like Mr. Wiley

moving into Wallowa, then going broke and moving on.

You know, I kinda feel sorry for him.

Well, it don't help a fool none to feel sorry for him.

Well, I guess it don't.

Pa, if we don't find the white cow

and the rest of the cows,

do we have to go away?

Go away? Why do you ask that?

We still have the store.

Yeah, I know, but...

Look, son, you like it here in Wallowa, don't yah?

Best place we ever lived.

Well, don't you worry about it.

I promise you, we'll stay.

Chief, the cattle you sold me are gone,

and the white cow, too.

You want help find them?

Well, I thought you might give me a lead.

White man, across the river.

Maybe they steal.

They steal all the time.

You not get him back.

But don't look sad, I sell you more cattle.

Well, I know Chief,

but things are a little different now.

You wouldn't sell me the herd

unless I bought the white cow, too.

Well, now you don't have the white cow,

so there's no reason I shouldn't look around

before I do any more buying.

Where you look?

Best place to look is here.

I got plenty good cattle.

Got another white cow, too.

You got another white cow?

It can't be as good as the first one.

Like twins. Got proof.

What proof?

Got same crossed horns.

But there can't be two of them.

Quiet, son.

Same kind of a cow? White?

With the same crossed horns?

All right, I'll take the cattle, chief,

and the white cow.

When can I seem them?

Oh, no, no. Way down river.

Take long time to find.

I tell you when.

And when you buy,

I give big feast, like last time.

You got yourself a deal, chief.

Come on, son.

Pa, there can't be another white cow like the one we had.

Chief Piotoot's a crook.

How do you know?

Some kids -- grown-ups, too --

they say he's been cheating people for a long time,

especially if they're new.

And especially if they don't know any better, son.

That might be.

But it ain't necessarily so

there ain't another cross-horned cow like we had.

But even if there is,

how you gonna pay for it?

And how you gonna get the money to pay for another whole herd?

Well, we still have the store and the house.

We can borrow on them.

But if you do that--

we do what we have to, son.

That's the way life is, whether we like it or not.

Now, let's leave it at that, for now.

[Moos]

Satisfied?

I don't care what you say.

Eddy!

I don't care.

That is the same white cow.

Chief Piotoot and his Indians stole it from us.

Then he sold it back,

and then he took our money.

And then he laughed.

Lot of cows look alike, eddy.

Not that much alike.

I never accuse a man unless I can prove he's guilty.

Well, what are you gonna do about it?

Just let him?

Son, there's an old saying.

"You give a man enough rope, and sooner or later,

he'll hang himself."

I gotta get back to the store.

I've been gone too long already.

You put the rest of the cows in the barn

and keep your eye on them until I get back home.

You heard what your father said, eddy.

What's the matter with him?

Your father knows what's right and wrong

better than you do, now, son.

Go on, do what you're told.

Get in there! Get!

I called you a dozen times. Now, where've you been?

In the barn.

Sit down here and eat your lunch

before it gets all stony cold.

I'm not hungry.

Eddy, now, you listen to me.

You're old enough to be talked to

as though you were almost a grown-up man.

Your father has made his mistakes.

Everybody has dear, but that's how we learn.

By experience.

How come he let Piotoot sell him the white cow twice?

Why?

I don't know, but I'm sure he had his reasons.

Why, I'm not even sure it is the same cow.

I am.

Ma, I don't want to move anymore.

Well, who says you're gonna have to?

Yes, you are growing up, aren't you?

You're just at the stage to where you think

you can judge your father.

No, ma. All right.

Your father has owned stores in other towns before, and he's bought cattle,

and he's lost the stores and he's lost the cattle too,

but son, it's not gonna happen again.

He bought on the store to buy the white cow back.

Eddy, look at me.

I haven't lost faith in your father

and I never will,

and don't you.

Don't you ever--

why, as long as the three of us keep on believing in each other,

why, there's nothing that can hurt us.

Nothing.

Do you understand what I mean, son, do you?

Yeah, I guess so.

Well, you can't just guess so

when your faith is being tested.

I'm sorry, Ma.

There you go.

Hiya, son. Where you been all afternoon?

Just walking around?

Ma's been waiting for these things,

now you get them to her in a hurry, here.

Yes, Pa.

You know, if it's still light enough

after we have a bit of supper, we might do a bit of fishing.

I don't feel like it.

Hey, son.

Uh, how's your Pa feel about old piotoot now?

Why don't you ask him?

Well, you don't have to get so huffy about it.

None of your business, anyhow.

Well, that thing, but, uh,

well, we feel kinda sorry for him.

We don't like to see no tenderfoot come into town

and get took in by no conniving redskin.

My Pa knows what he's doing.

Well, he ain't doing very good at it.

It's like the storekeeper that was here before him.

Old Chief Piotoot would sell him cattle

that the Indians stole to start with,

and then they'd steal 'em from him,

and then make him buy 'em back all over again.

And next thing you know, he ain't got no farm,

no cows, and no store.

Ain't got nothing,

except a lesson that he learned too late.

You know, I was you, I'd, uh,

run home and see if that cow's still there.

Shut up! Shut up!

Kid's a mite touchy.

Hey, Yellowbelly.

What'd you call me?

I called you Yellowbelly.

That means coward. That means you.

You and your old man. He's a real big yellowbelly.

Big fool, too.

Who says so?

I say so. My old man says so.

Everybody says so.

What are you gonna do about it?

[Barking]

Stop it! Stop it!

You promised me you wouldn't fight.

I had to, Ma.

You didn't have to. You just wanted to.

So, when they said that about you, Pa--

you thought you could fight your Pa's battles.

Well, someone's gotta stop 'em

from saying those things about you.

Calling me a coward?

What's worse? A fool?

Now, John, I'm not going to sit here

and listen to talk like that.

Now, it's better off being said right out

that bottled up inside.

All right, son, I'll tell you what we're gonna do.

We're gonna give the people something new to talk about.

First thing in the morning, I'm going over to see the Chief.

Pa, if you're gonna go settle things with Chief Piotoot,

you better take your club, or even a gun.

Oh, it'll be all right, because he's so big, and you're so--

you don't have to shoot him. Just scare him.

Now, your father didn't say he was going to fight Chief Piotoot.

That's right, son. I didn't.

But you said--

I said we were going to give the people

something new to talk about.

Now, I don't want to hear any more about it.

I've got some chores to take care of.

[Jake reading sign]

[Crowd murmuring]

You know, he's already bought that white cow

back from Chief Piotoot once.

Now he's gonna do it again.

That just shows you how big a fool he is.

I didn't figure he was that much of a fool.

Well, now you know.

You know, I wouldn't mind having that $25 reward myself.

And you wouldn't mind being scalped, neither,

'cause that's what is gonna happen

to the person that tries to cut Piotoot out

of collecting the money on that white cow, again.

[Mutters]

Woo, Wiley!

Hello, Chief.

No finding lucky cow.

How far did you look?

Look in river, look in hills. No lucky cow.

Well, I hope you're gonna keep looking.

My people tired looking.

What if I raise the reward?

Lucky cow gone. Nobody find him.

Well, Chief, I am a little short on cash,

but I'll tell you what I'll do.

I'll raise this reward to $50.

[Crowd murmuring]

Mr. Wiley, I ain't one to put in or anything like that,

but you're gonna let that Indian bleed you to death?

That's just what he's doing. Now, he knows where that cow is.

He's just waiting for you to raise the ante before he brings her in.

And you fell for it.

Thanks, Zeke, but I think I can take care of this matter.

You're gonna take care of yourself,

right into the poor house, that's what you're gonna do.

Well, that'll be my tough luck.

What about it, Chief?

$50.

Cash?

Cash.

[Mutters]

You know, your mother's been worried about you.

I think you ought to get along home.

Unless you wanna go with me and look for that lucky cow.

Mr. Wiley, can't you get it through your head,

you don't have to hunt for nothing that ain't lost,

and if you're like Piotoot,

you know where to find it.

I don't think I follow you, Zeke.

No, you sure don't. You sure don't.

Pa, you're not closing the store again, are you?

That's right. Come on.

Do I have to?

Well, I think it's a pretty good idea, yes.

Come on.

You know it appears to me

that boy's got more sense than his Pa?

He sure does.

[Groans]

Chief Piotoot's sure got those people

right under his thumb.

He's even got the women and the youngsters

looking for that white cow.

Old Piotoot knows where it is, all right.

You sure, son?

Couldn't possibly be that they don't know where to look.

They know where to look, all right.

Anyhow, Chief Piotoot knows.

Look over there.

I think they've given up.

They're not giving up.

They're just taking a rest here

to raise the reward again.

What makes you think that?

Everybody thinks you will.

Everybody but me.

Here comes the Chief now.

Lucky cow lost.

Lost bad.

No find. My people too tired to look any more.

Well, that's very discouraging, Chief.

Fifty dollars is a lot of money.

Maybe not enough.

Maybe we look more, you go higher.

Well, uh, I'd have to think about that, Chief.

Pa--

Chief, you say your people are very tired.

Well, I think it's only fair

that they receive some reward for their effort.

Now, why don't you get 'em all together,

and we'll have a barbeque at my place?

You feed them all?

We feed 'em all.

And the people in town, too.

Ya!

[Laughs]

♪♪

This is all of it, gentlemen. Eat hearty.

No, thank you, sir.

I'm full Mr. Wiley. Thank you.

He's as happy as if he had good sense.

He ain't half as happy as old Chief Piotoot.

Thing is, when old Wiley's busted,

Piotoot will still be in business,

selling his lucky cow.

Look at him, look at him!

Your father knows what he's doing.

How about some more, Chief?

Mm, good meat!

Quiet!

Quiet, everyone.

[Music stops]

Speech! Speech!

Give us a speech, Mr. Wiley.

I'm not a speechmaker,

but I just want to say I'm glad everybody enjoyed

our little get-together,

and I want to thank Chief Piotoot here

for trying to find our lucky cow,

but before anyone leaves, there's just one more thing.

I've got a big surprise for everybody.

[Crowd murmuring]

What do you suppose that poor fool's gonna do now?

I don't know.

Oh, ma, why doesn't he quit?

He's not the quitting kind.

Look, Eddy. Look!

Old Piotoot didn't steal the cow.

Pa stole it from himself!

He knew it all the time!

[Crowd laughing]

Oh, Ma!

Well, you done it, Mr. Wiley.

You sure put one over on all Piotoot.

Yes, sir. You sure did.

The old Chief's out of business.

No more lucky cow to sell and steal.

You're quite a man, Mr. Wiley. Sure are.

You know people are gonna be laughing about this for a hundred years.

The Chief ain't laughing.

You know what you ought to do with these, Mr. Wiley?

You ought to nail 'em over your store,

they'll make you lucky.

The people will come from miles around just to see it.

Hey that's a good idea.

We'll nail 'em up for you, Mr. Wiley.

Well, thanks. Yeah, let's do that.

Come on, everybody.

[Laughing]

Why didn't you tell me?

Why didn't I tell you what, son?

That you Pa might be smarter than he looks?

You wouldn't have believed me, anyway, would ya?

Oh, John, stop teasing him.

You're father was never afraid of Chief Piotoot,

or anyone anywhere we've ever lived.

But using a gun or a club on Piotoot wouldn't have proved a thing.

This has.

Well, it cost me a mighty good white cow,

but I guess it was worth it.

[Crowd laughs]

Now they're laughing with ya,

instead of at you.